Which activity is performed in the primary market during an IPO?

• A. Trading existing shares among investors.
• B. Issuing new shares and setting pricing for the offering.
• C. Buying back shares from the market.
• D. Transaction processing by market regulators.

Answer: (B)

In an IPO, the main action is creating and selling new shares to the public, with the company and its underwriters determining the offering price and how the shares are distributed. This is what brings fresh capital directly into the company, helping fund growth or repay debt. The pricing process often involves roadshows and demand gauging to set a price people are willing to pay and to decide how many shares to issue.

After the IPO, trading occurs on the secondary market, where investors buy and sell existing shares among themselves. The company itself doesn’t receive new funds from these trades, and the focus is on liquidity and price discovery for shares that already exist.

So, the option describing issuing new shares and setting the offering price captures the essence of what happens in the primary market during an IPO.